Pages

April 28, 2007

Some things are best left unsaid.

I have lost my voice. Ok, I can speak in a quiet whisper, and by saying "quiet whisper" I'm not being redundant because even compared to an average whisper, my whisper's quiet. When I'm a foot away from someone, I feel like I'm shouting at them to be heard, but all that's coming out is that darned scratchy whisper.

Laryngitis sucks.

I've got to take my hat off to Nanuq. Even though I can't give him any verbal commands, he's responding to all my whistles and hand signals and, generally, is behaving even better than when I am able to vocally tell him what to do or where not to go.

I had a concert today with the Whitehorse All-City Band. I laughed when Norris asked me how I could play the tuba when I wasn't able to speak. Because he's tried the tuba and should know better, I laughed (not out loud because I can't) and explained that, as long as I can buzz my lips and blow, I can play the tuba.

It was when one of the French horn players in the band asked me the exact same question after the concert that my jaw dropped. He was serious and I was too stunned to do react. If there was anyone who should know the answer to that question, you would expect it to be a fellow brass player. It was the bari-sax player next to me that did the laughing. If he'd had laryngitis, he wouldn't have been able to ask that question.